Wall covering



/Nlf/VTOR 735 Tse o se TTU/(UVE K5 P. ROSSI WALL COVERING Filed Deo. 5, 1927 Sept. 25, 1928.

Patented Sept. 25, 1928. y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER ROSSI, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

WALL co'vEmNG.

appucaaon med December s, 1927. serial No. 237,351.

An object of the inventlon is to provide an improved wall covering of simple and mexpensive construction wherein a plurality of separable tiles may be easily and quickly assembled on a wall in interlocking relation so as to simulate the ordinary tile formation such asis commonly employed in bathrooms and the like. Another object is to form tiles, which are adapted to be placed in juxtaposition to one another, with means for securing lone en of each tile in position and other means at the other end of the tile capable of being engaged by anext adjacent tile to retain said other end in close contact with the surface to which the tile is secured.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the following detail description, when taken in cdnnection with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view,

partlybroken away and shown in section, illustrating a wall covering constructed in accordance with the invention; j

1Figure 2 isa perspective view of a corner ti e;

Figure 8 is a similar view` ofa form of tile which constitutes the major portion of the wall covering;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section illustrating the relative positions of adjacent tiles when secured in position; j

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view showing the manner in which the ends of the t-iles are fixed to the Wall; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a molding which may be employed as a trimming.

` The invention embodies as one of its essential features the provision of a plurality of tiles, each of which is stamped or otherwise formed from a sheet of material such as steel,

and the outer surface of which is preferably enamelled so as to simulate the ordinary tile work that is principally used in bathrooms, kitchens, etc. With the tiles constructed as separable units the same may be readily and quickly assembled by unskilled labor to form the outer surface of ,a wall covering and the construction of the tiles is such that when mounted in position on a wall .the same will be securely retained in properposition'. The

tiles of the present invention are adapted to be mounted upon a wall of any desired construction which may include the wall board 7. It is preferable, though not essential, that before securing the tiles in position vthe wall board be covered with a thin sheet 8 of any desired metal which is adapted .to be penetrated by suitable fastening screws used to secure the tile in' position and which will aid in preventing undue loosening of the fasteners after being screwed into the wall.

, The tiles 9, such as shown in Figure 3, may be made in various sizes, particularlywith respect to their lengths so that a wall may be completely covered. For instance, when .using tilessuch as shown and placing them in staggered relation upon a wall as is customary, it may become necessary to have a few tiles of a length approximately one half that of the tile shown in Figure 3 so as to fill in a space between two tiles in alternate rows which extend beyond the adjacent tile in an intermediate row.- f

rlhe tile 9 is formed from a suitable length of the metal used and constitutes a body portion of rectangular formation, the edges of which are provided with a peripheral flange 10 to add thickness to the tile and form abutting edges for the next adjacent tiles. At ne end of each tile 9 the same has extending aterally from the opposite longitudinal edges thereof a. pair of lugs 11 having openings 12 to receive the screws or other fastening devices 13 utilized to secure said end of the tile to the wall.

At the opposite end onf each tile there projects longitudinally therefrom an extension 14:'slightly offset from the plane of the inner edges of the flanges 10 so that the outer surface of the extension will be in substantially the same plane as said inner edges of the flanges. 9 which carries the lugs 114 to be engaged with the extension in overlapping relation thereto and with the outer surfaces of the bodies off the two adjacent tiles flush or in the same plane. `For the sam'e purpose the' lugs 11 are disposed in a manner similar to the extension 14 so that when the tiles are assembled upon the wall the entire outer surface presented thereby will be flat and none of the tiles will project outwardly beyond the outer surface of any. other tile. One or more of the tiles 9 usedv for the wall may be provided with an opening 15 to accommodate an This enables the end of another tile electric switch orl the like5 and such a tile is preferably formed without the lugs 11 and extension 14, but is secured in positionv by means of screws 16 so as to readily enable the particular tile to be easily removed in caseit is desired to secure access to the switch for purposes of repair.

Corner tiles 16 are-also provided and consist of the rightangularly disposed sections 17 and 18, the latter of which is substantially one half theslength of the section 17 so as to permit of carryingout the staggered relation in the various horizontal rows of tiles. The outer ends of the sections of the corner tiles are each provided with lugs 19 similar to thc lugs 11 and which are. used to secure the corner tiles in position. l

The. manner in which one tile 9 overlaps the extension 14 of a next adjacent tile with the outer surfaces of the two tiles in the same plane is clearly illustrated at the ends of covered with the tiles in the manner described, a molding 20 may be employed as a trimming for the top row of tiles, for instance. This molding is bent from suitable. sheet metal, preferably of the same material as used vin constructing the tiles, and is formed with an inturned bottom flange 21 which rests upon the top edges of the upperv row of tiles and is provided at intervals with dependingeX- tcnsions 22 which may be inserted between the top langes 10 of the tiles and the sheet 8 so as to retain the moldingl in position.

What is claimed is:

A tile for walls or the like including a body formed from a single sheet of metal and provided about i(ts periphery with 'a lateral ilange, securing lugs-projecting from said flange at one end of said body, and an extension formed only at the other end ofvsaid body and projecting laterally from the free edge of said flange and engageable beneath the free edge of the flange at the end of a next adjacent tile to provide the sole securing means for the end of the lili-st named tile carrying said extension. In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

' PETER ROSSI. 

